Money can't buy love

By Derick Waller

As Chairman of Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, Terry McAuliffe helped raise unprecedented amounts of money. Now, as a candidate for the governor of Virginia, he looks to duplicate that success. So far he has shown early signs of it.
After he announced his candidacy in November, he raised nearly $1 million by the end of 2008, according to The Virginia Public Access Project. In comparison, Brian Moran and Creigh Deeds raised about a $750,000 and $600,000 respectively in the last six months of the year. McAuliffe raised his $950,000 in only the November and December, and new reports show that the McAuliffe campaign has widened that fundraising gap. He raised $4.2 million in the first quarter of 2009, trouncing his democratic primary opponents. Moran and Deeds both raised around $800,000. Presumptive Republican nominee Bob McDonnell raised over $2 million.
The McAuliffe campaign benefits from Virginia’s loose campaign finance laws, which unlike federal laws do not limit campaign contributions in any way. Political supporters can give as much money as they would like and his high profile friends have been doing just that.
For example, long-time friend Bill Clinton donated $10,000 and publicly endorsed McAuliffe at a rally in Richmond this week.
Anyone can look at exactly who has been donating to his campaign or any other Virginia campaign via The Virginia Public Access Project, which was created in 1997 in response to the relative lack of campaign finance laws in the commonwealth. VPAP is a searchable online database that allows anyone to look up how much state office holders and candidates are fundraising, how they are spending that money and how they are getting it.
Political analyst Bob Holsworth, President of Virginia Tomorrow, said that fundraising is important but warns that McAuliffe is not the only democrat who can raise money.
“Anyone who gets the democratic nomination is going to be well-funded, because Barack Obama is not going to want to lose Virginia. Tim Kaine is not going to want to lose Virginia. They’re going to tap all their national fundraising circles,” he said.
One of McAuliffe’s challengers in the primary race, Brian Moran, criticized him for attending a fundraiser held by Ed Rogers, a republican friend of McAuliffe’s. Rogers supported John McCain in the 2008 presidential election.
The McAuliffe campaign brushed off the criticism, saying that the democratic nominee would need a hefty amount of money to compete against republican Bob McDonnell this fall.
He has reason to believe that money is the key to winning the election. According to The Center for Responsive Politics, of 438 Congressional races last fall, only 30 of the candidates who outspent their opponent lost. That means that 93 percent of those who spent more money in their races went on to win in 2008. More money often does equate to more votes, but not always.
David Cary, President of VCU Students for Terry McAuliffe, does not believe they are totally relying on a cash advantage to win.
“Money will be very helpful but the most important thing is keeping the grassroots campaign strong and appealing to the majority of Virginians. Jim Webb…was outspent in his campaign in 2006,” he said.
New polling indicates that McAuliffe or any democrat has not won over Virginia voters just yet. A Rasmussen poll showed that if the election were held now, McDonnell would likely beat any democrat by several points.
Holsworth said that republicans have a slight advantage because of uncertainty over the economy and because the “albatross” of George Bush is gone. Add that to McAuliffe’s lack of experience and McDonnell has the advantage, he said.
“He’s a strong candidate but I think McDonnell’s a very strong candidate,” Holsworth said. “Can you be governor of a state without having spent a lot of time working in that state, in the political arena? What would the public think about that? It’s an open question.”
McAuliffe called his inactivity in state politics “an asset.”
“I’ve had many life experiences,” McAuliffe said. “You can’t live in Virginia for nearly 20 years and not understand the problems, because you live with that every single day.”
Even though he is a longtime resident, he has still been inactive in state politics and Holsworth warns that money will not fix everything.
“It’s never easy to come into a state where you haven’t been actively involved and have people just fall in line behind you,” he said. “Money itself can’t buy you love that way.”

Fundraising muscle, high profile friends aid Terry McAuliffe's gubernatorial campaign

By Derick Waller

Terry McAuliffe hopes his decades spent helping to elect democrats nationwide will pay off this year as he vies to become Virginia’s next governor. A former Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, he has also worked on numerous campaigns, including Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, earning the reputation of being a master fundraiser. Bill Clinton endorsed McAuliffe Monday at a rally in Shockoe Bottom.
“The press says, 'Oh well, Terry McAuliffe has raised millions of dollars for Bill Clinton. He has to show up.' And that's absolutely true," Clinton said in a speech to several hundred supporters.
"... But here's what I really want to tell you," he said. "I am here today for reasons that go way, way beyond that.”
He went on to advocate for McAuliffe’s plans for job growth, liking them to his achievements as president.
If elected McAuliffe said he wants to focus on creating high-paying green energy jobs by mandating cleaner energy standards and investing research dollars into public universities like VCU. His plans also include higher teacher salaries, investments in solar and wind power, and also converting chicken waste into clean energy. To pay for all this he is counting on a growing tax base but also said that he would “not raise taxes in a down economy.” He has not ruled out future tax increases.
Unlike the federal government, states are required to keep a balanced budget every year, but Virginia does have a AAA Bond rating, meaning the commonwealth has access to loans if needed.
His job creation plan counts on increased state revenues to succeed, but as political analyst and President of Virginia Tomorrow Bob Holsworth pointed out, “…until you get the growth, you can’t have that spending,” adding, “…This is more of a campaign strategy than a governing strategy.”
In keeping with his reputation, McAuliffe has trounced his democratic opponents in fundraising. As of April 15, he has raised $4.2 million this year, more than four times his closest competitor, Brian Moran, who raised about $800,000. Much of his money has come from out-of-state donors. The fundraising advantage has shown itself in polls. In the latest Survey USA poll, McAuliffe is leading Moran and Deeds by double digits, but all three democratic candidates trail presumed Republican nominee, former Attorney General Bob McDonnell in a recent Rasmussen poll. Despite good primary poll numbers, state leaders have not totally rallied around McAuliffe.
Clinton’s endorsement could help McAuliffe win more support from other state leaders, Holsworth said.
“Many of the high profile Virginians have not endorsed anybody,” he said. “…Warner, Kaine, Webb, and so what McAuliffe is hoping…one Clinton trumps fifty local officials who endorsed Moran or Deeds.”
McAuliffe has never held public office and he has been absent in Virginia politics for the entire time he has called the commonwealth his home. He has lived in Northern Virginia for nearly twenty years. Opponents have used his absence in state politics to say that he is not qualified for the job, but McAuliffe spins it differently.
He said that he is “someone who will come in with a fresh approach, big bold ideas; Out of the box, strong business background.
“You can’t live in Virginia for nearly twenty years and not understand the problems because you live with that every single day.”
Holsworth sees his lack of experience here as more of a hindrance.
“It’s never easy to come into a state where you haven’t been actively involved and have people just fall in line behind you,” he said. “Money itself can’t buy you love that way.”
Even with the money advantage, if the election were held today, McDonnell would likely still win.
David Cary, President of VCU Students for Terry McAuliffe is not worried.
“McDonnell is winning now because the democratic vote is split 3 ways between Moran Terry and Deeds,” he said. “Things will change once one candidate is selected.”
But before McAuliffe can run against McDonnell, he has to first worry about winning the democratic primary on June 9.